Fire leads to rescue of 9 dogs, some severely malnourished, at north Georgia property, officials say

POLK COUNTY, Ga. — A fire at a property led to a Polk County man arrested on animal cruelty charges and his nine dogs taken.

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Channel 2’s Berndt Petersen was told some of them are severely malnourished. The county would not release any pictures of them.

Just after 8 a.m. Tuesday along Vinson Mountain Road, Polk County firefighters encountered a big blaze that raced through a two-story home.

Firefighters also encountered nine dogs running around the property. Officials say some of them were skin and bones.

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They called county animal control officers, who rounded them all up and took them to the county shelter. The dog are now receiving veterinary care.

Meantime, police arrested the homeowner, who faces charges of animal cruelty, officials say.

Officers say they have been to the house before after getting complaints about dogs running loose, but this time it led to an arrest.

So far officials, have not released the name of the man arrested.

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The owner faces animal cruelty charges, officials say